Artworks are cultural expressions that evoke deep emotion, raise awareness and encourage healthy debate. They have an incredible impact on communities and societies. Research shows that students in the US who participate in the arts are twice as likely to volunteer and vote when they grow up. The arts teach us how to express ourselves and build strong relationships with others, resulting in more harmonious and productive social conditions.
A wide range of techniques and mediums can be used to create artworks. Some artists combine several techniques and media in their work, while others focus on a single technique. The most common mediums are painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and photography. Many artists also use a variety of techniques to create their works, such as etching, aquatint, relief and scratchboard. Artworks can be created using a variety of materials, such as paper, canvas, glass, metal and wood. The subject of an artwork can be abstract or representational, and may reflect current events or social movements, such as feminism or the Civil Rights movement.
An artwork conveys ideas and messages through symbols, themes and metaphors. It can be a form of allegory, an exploration of the natural world or a political, religious, economic or historical event. A theme can also be a specific idea, such as the theme of love or death. The elements of an artwork can also represent symbolic figures, symbols or archetypes, or they can be part of a larger iconography, such as the lamb that represents Christ in Christian religious paintings.
Is the artwork aesthetically pleasing or appealing to the eye? Does it have a unified composition that balances the forms and colors in the piece? Is it symmetrical or asymmetrical (in which case, how does it achieve this?) Is there a sense of space and depth in the work? Does it feature a clear horizon line, a sense of weight and mass or a clear hierarchy of parts?
Does the work evoke an instinctive reaction from viewers, such as fear, curiosity or wonder? Does it capture our attention with a particular element that grabs our gaze, such as brightly colored or distorted elements; a dramatic or unusual shape; a moving figure or object; text; movement; or a sense of scale? Do the contrasting shapes, textures and surface qualities of the work make it seem rugged, delicate, rough or smooth?
Some traditional definitions of art take a simplistic approach and assert that an artwork has to be both beautiful and meaningful. This view of art is often called institutional definitions, and it suggests that all works that meet some set of criteria can be considered artworks. It is a type of neo-institutionalism that has been criticized for reducing the value of an artwork to its aesthetic properties. Other theorists have challenged this notion, arguing that there are reasons why an object might not be considered to be an artwork, even if it is beautiful and meaningful. For example, a cocktail party could be thought of as an ugly artwork if it had a high casualty rate or caused significant property damage, while a mathematical theorem might not.